Documentary Feature Films 2015

Documentary Feature Films

BECOMING BULLETPROOF

Michael Barnett(USA, 2014, 80 mins)

Becoming Bulletproof documents the making of an original Western movie called "Bulletproof," which features a diverse group of able-bodied and disabled actors who meet every year to write, produce, direct and star in a film. This riveting film-within-a-film immerses us in a dynamic, inclusive world of discipline and play that leads to starring roles in a magical, rip-roaring costume drama Western that raises questions about why we so rarely see real disabled actors on the big screen.

CROCODILE GENNADIY

Steve Hoover (CBFF 2013 Blood Brother)(USA, 2015, 100 mins)

Ukrainian Pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko has made a name for himself by forcibly abducting homeless, drug-addicted kids from the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine and bringing them into rehab at his church. But he's also a vigilante who uses any force necessary to carry out his moral vision. As his country leans towards European Union inclusion, hopes of continued post-Soviet revitalization seem possible, but the looming fear of a Russian invasion threatens everything.

DO YOU DREAM IN COLOR?

Imagine skateboarding blind. Imagine being a heavy metal drummer or traveling by yourself to Portugal, and being blind. Do You Dream In Color? is a poignant coming-of-age age story capturing the inspired journeys and dreams of four teenagers who are blind. Their stories shine a provocative light on the social and institutional obstacles they face in the sighted world and what it takes to surmount these barriers.

This film has been generously sponsored by Jen Greene and Paradox Footwear, and by Annie, Tom, and Wilson MacFarlane.

FRAME BY FRAME

Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli(Afghanistan, 2015, 85 min)

Imagine a culture where photography is banned... When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, taking a photo (family, wedding, or otherwise) was considered blasphemous and made a crime. Photography simply vanished. When the regime was deposed in 2001, a fledgling free press emerged and a photographic revolution was born. Now, as foreign troops and the media withdraw, Afghanistan is left to stand on its own - and so are its journalists. Frame By Frame, astonishingly directed by two American women (including CBFF alumni Alexandria Bombach) follows four Afghan photojournalists as they navigate an emerging and dangerous media landscape reframing Afghanistan for the world, and for themselves. Through cinema vérité, intimate interviews, powerful photojournalism, and never-before-seen archival footage shot in secret during the Taliban regime, the film connects audiences with four humans in the pursuit of the truth.

POACHED

Timothy Wheeler(USA, 2015, 91 min)

When passion becomes obsession: In the United Kingdom, egg thieves rob the nests of rare birds while a police initiative named "Operation Easter" tries to stop them. Poached is a fascinating expose into the lives and obsessions of five men whose actions threaten to wipe out an entire species of birds. “Utterly fascinating and weird. An intellectual character study of specimens, obsession, and self-rationalization. Brilliant, bizarre, and beautiful.”

RACING EXTINCTION

Louie Psihoyos(USA, 2015, 94 min)

Oscar®-winning director Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a team of artists and activists on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high-tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, Racing Extinction reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world - imagine images of blue whales swimming atop the Empire State Building or Mt. Crested Butte for that matter.

This film has been generously sponsored by Smithworks Natural Homes, and by the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media.

THE DIPLOMAT

David Holbrooke, director (in person)(USA, 2015, 104 mins)

The Diplomat tells the remarkable story of the life and legacy of US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, whose career spanned fifty years of American foreign policy - from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Told through the perspective of his son, Mountainfilm director David Holbrooke, the film takes you behind the scenes of high stakes diplomacy where peace is waged and wars are ended. It's a son's attempt to know his father, "better in death than I did in life."

THE HUNTING GROUND

Kirby Dick(USA, 2015, 103 mins)

Discussion to follow.

An unflinching exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families - but never on the institutions themselves.

“Any parent sending a child off to college should consider this required viewing” - New York Magazine

THE RIDER & THE WOLF

Nathan Ward, director, and others (in person)(USA, 2015, 61 min)

An eerie question: Whatever happened to former Crested Butte resident Mike Rust? Mike “The Bike” Rust was a larger-than-life figure in the early days of Crested Butte mountain biking. His innovative designs took the bike from the streets to the trails and showed exactly what a well-equipped bike could do. Namely anything. The Rider & The Wolf follows Rust’s love for the bike but also his growing disenchantment with American society, until finally, he cashes in his chips and builds a ramshackle house in the San Luis Valley, where he lead a pleasant, isolated life. Then, one day in March of 2009, Rust disappeared after a confrontation on his property and has never been heard from since, no matter how hard his family - and even psychics - try.

This film has been generously sponsored by Donita’s Cantina and The Crested Butte Klunker Collection, and by Oskar Blues.

UNBRANDED

Phillip Baribeau(USA, 2015, 105 min)

Ben Masters, a young Texas horseman, gathered three of his best friends, adopted and trained sixteen (out of our country’s 50,000) wild mustangs, and set off on an epic, 3,000 mile adventure from the Mexican to the Canadian border through some of the American West’s wildest terrain, all in an effort to prove the worth of these horses that are systematically rounded up and held in government holding facilities. What ensues is a soaring tale of self-discovery, runaway horses, nearly-broken friendships, resilience, and adventure in its truest sense of the word, all shining a bright light on the complex plight of our country’s wild horses.

This film has been generously sponsored by Allan and Carole Abramson, Chad and Shelby Mauldin of Blind Faith Custom Window Fashions, and Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - 6PM - CENTER FOR THE ARTSSATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 - 10 AM - CENTER FOR THE ARTSSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 - 7 PM - CENTER FOR THE ARTS